LOVE feeds upon the fiery trial, And hugs the arm that smites; I bless you for your stern denial, And for my lonely nights. If you had heaped my flame with fuel, And been, as I was, blind, Time might have proved your favour cruel, Your tenderness unkind. The longing flesh outwears the spirit, The body tires the soul; By giving, we but half inherit, By holding back, the whole. The world may keep its brutal fashion, And crush the rose to death; Our ecstasy of virgin passion Will scent our latest breath. I lose you, but I gain, in losing, Your very life and heart; Of all that makes time sweet, in choosing, We chose the better part. I lose you, but I gain for ever More than mere lovers hold; I gain your ocean for their river, And for their dross, your gold. Then love me, my Desire, my Wonder, Through change of world and weather! Our hearts may louder beat asunder Than when they throbbed together. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IVY by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON DORA VERSUS ROSE by HENRY AUSTIN DOBSON PELTERS OF PYRAMIDS by RICHARD HENGIST (HENRY) HORNE CHARACTERS: WILLIAM ENFIELD by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD NETLEY ABBEY; A LEGEND OF HAMPSHIRE by RICHARD HARRIS BARHAM |